Congress of Gela
Encyclopedia
The Congress of Gela was a diplomatic meeting between a number of Sicilian
cities in 424 BC. It brought a temporary halt to several years of warfare between cities on the island. At the conference, the Sicilian cities agreed to a Syracusan proposal to make peace and agree to a platform of "Sicily for the Sicilians" which has been compared to the Monroe Doctrine
. Though the agreement was intended to be perpetual, both war and outside involvement in Sicilian affairs resumed within a few decades.
and its allies on the island. The war originated as a conflict between Syracuse and Leontini, but expanded when the Leontinians appealed to their ally Athens for support. By 426 BC, it had become a wide-ranging conflict including many Greek cities and native Sicels
. Athenian forces, fighting alongside Rhegium, Leontini, Naxos
, Kamarina, and various Sicel tribes, won several initial successes. In 426, Athenian forces captured the strategically vital city of Messina and attacked several other towns allied to Syracuse. Syracuse, which led an alliance including Locris
, Gela
, and other cities, regained the initiative by 425 BC, recaptured Messina, and threatened several of Athens' allies.
. Since Thucydides was not in Sicily at the time, his account of the specific speeches is certainly his own composition; historians have differed over whether the gist of the comments delivered is reflected in Thucydides account. Modern historians have generally concluded that Thucydides presents the general thrust of the meeting accurately, and his account is followed here.
The meeting opened with complaints from various states about the wrongs done to them during the war. It shifted tone, however, after a speech by Hermocrates
, a Syracusan delegate. As reported by Thucydides, the speech consisted of an extended appeal to Sicilian unity and warning against the threat of Athens, an imperial power. Hermocrates painted a picture of peaceful coexistence between the Greek cities of Sicily, supported by unified opposition to outside interference.
Hermocrates' proposal has been compared to the Monroe Doctrine
—both in its high-minded appeal to self determination and in its intrinsic benefit for the powerful state that proposed it. Syracuse, in 424, was the single largest and most powerful state on Sicily, and stood to dominate the island's politics if outside influences like Athens were excluded. Whether because of persuasion, war-weariness, or a mixture of the two, the representatives at the conference agreed to conclude a peace on the basis of the status quo, with Syracuse ceding Morgantina
to the Kamarinians in exchange for monetary payments. The generals commanding Athens' fleet in the area acceded to the treaty and departed for mainland Greece, bringing an end to hostilities in the region.
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
cities in 424 BC. It brought a temporary halt to several years of warfare between cities on the island. At the conference, the Sicilian cities agreed to a Syracusan proposal to make peace and agree to a platform of "Sicily for the Sicilians" which has been compared to the Monroe Doctrine
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine is a policy of the United States introduced on December 2, 1823. It stated that further efforts by European nations to colonize land or interfere with states in North or South America would be viewed as acts of aggression requiring U.S. intervention...
. Though the agreement was intended to be perpetual, both war and outside involvement in Sicilian affairs resumed within a few decades.
Background
For a period of several years in the mid-420s BC, Syracuse and its allies fought a war against AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and its allies on the island. The war originated as a conflict between Syracuse and Leontini, but expanded when the Leontinians appealed to their ally Athens for support. By 426 BC, it had become a wide-ranging conflict including many Greek cities and native Sicels
Sicels
The Sicels were an Italic people who inhabited ancient Sicily. The Sicels gave Sicily the name it has held since antiquity, but they rapidly fused into the culture of Magna Graecia.-History:...
. Athenian forces, fighting alongside Rhegium, Leontini, Naxos
Naxos (Sicily)
Naxos or Naxus , was an ancient city of Sicily, on the east coast of the island between Catana and Messana...
, Kamarina, and various Sicel tribes, won several initial successes. In 426, Athenian forces captured the strategically vital city of Messina and attacked several other towns allied to Syracuse. Syracuse, which led an alliance including Locris
Locri
Locri is a town and comune in the province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, southern Italy. The name derives from the ancient Greek town Locris.-History:...
, Gela
Gela
Gela is a town and comune in the province of Caltanissetta in the south of Sicily, Italy. The city is at about 84 kilometers distance from the city of Caltanissetta, on the Mediterranean Sea. The city has a larger population than the provincial capital, and ranks second in land area.Gela is an...
, and other cities, regained the initiative by 425 BC, recaptured Messina, and threatened several of Athens' allies.
Peace Initiative
Kamarina and Gela, two traditional allies, had found themselves on different sides of the conflict; Gela was an ally of Syracuse, while Kamarina was deeply hostile to that city. The two concluded an armistice in the late summer of 425. Since a bilateral peace was unlikely to last if the rest of the island remained at war, the two cities invited all the belligerents to convene and discuss peace terms. The cities not only sent ambassadors but also granted them unusually broad power to conduct diplomacy.The Congress
The proceedings of the Congress are known largely through the writings of the historian ThucydidesThucydides
Thucydides was a Greek historian and author from Alimos. His History of the Peloponnesian War recounts the 5th century BC war between Sparta and Athens to the year 411 BC...
. Since Thucydides was not in Sicily at the time, his account of the specific speeches is certainly his own composition; historians have differed over whether the gist of the comments delivered is reflected in Thucydides account. Modern historians have generally concluded that Thucydides presents the general thrust of the meeting accurately, and his account is followed here.
The meeting opened with complaints from various states about the wrongs done to them during the war. It shifted tone, however, after a speech by Hermocrates
Hermocrates
Hermocrates was a general of Syracuse during the Athenians' Sicilian Expedition.The first historical reference to Hermocrates is at the congress of Gela in 424 BC, where he gave a speech demanding the Sicilian Greeks stop their quarrelling...
, a Syracusan delegate. As reported by Thucydides, the speech consisted of an extended appeal to Sicilian unity and warning against the threat of Athens, an imperial power. Hermocrates painted a picture of peaceful coexistence between the Greek cities of Sicily, supported by unified opposition to outside interference.
Hermocrates' proposal has been compared to the Monroe Doctrine
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine is a policy of the United States introduced on December 2, 1823. It stated that further efforts by European nations to colonize land or interfere with states in North or South America would be viewed as acts of aggression requiring U.S. intervention...
—both in its high-minded appeal to self determination and in its intrinsic benefit for the powerful state that proposed it. Syracuse, in 424, was the single largest and most powerful state on Sicily, and stood to dominate the island's politics if outside influences like Athens were excluded. Whether because of persuasion, war-weariness, or a mixture of the two, the representatives at the conference agreed to conclude a peace on the basis of the status quo, with Syracuse ceding Morgantina
Morgantina
Morgantina is an archaeological site in east central Sicily, southern Italy. It is sixty kilometres from the coast of the Ionian Sea, in the province of Enna. The closest modern town is Aidone, two kilometres southwest of the site...
to the Kamarinians in exchange for monetary payments. The generals commanding Athens' fleet in the area acceded to the treaty and departed for mainland Greece, bringing an end to hostilities in the region.